Green With Envy
by Acain Keyrose
Summary: For the first time in his life Itachi envies a tree.
1. Green With Envy

AN: Hello! This is Acain Keyrose with a story for one of my favorite couples! XD

I'm so happy to post this because I've had the idea for a while now and I've always loved both of the characters in this. But this is also my first _Naruto_ story and my first attempt at portraying these characters, so please review and let me know what you think!

**Green With Envy**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

In a well-lit forest filled with bird song a dark-haired man slid smoothly between the trunks of ancient oaks. He wore the mostly black cloak dotted with red clouds easily recognized as belonging to a member of the Akatsuki and a wide-rimmed, woven straw hat that barely allowed his coal-black eyes to peer out from under it.

He was none other than Itachi Uchiha, just coming back from his latest "mission". It wasn't a difficult one, it was just another assassination. The only unusual thing about it was that it took place near the Leaf Village. This in itself wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the male's sudden feeling of nostalgia and urge to visit the place that had once been his home. Even then he didn't decide to go until he had thoroughly thought out all the possible outcomes for such a quick- and admittedly foolish- venture.

And so he ended up where he was now, in one of the training areas. It was the closest to the living quarters of the village he would dare to go without official orders. He was simply walking through the trees, taking in the simple, calming atmosphere of the village he held so dear. If only his brother had found such peace there…

A sudden crash made him snap from his reverie and leap into the branches of the nearest tree, senses instantly alert. For a moment he didn't dare to breath, going over the possibility that someone had already discovered him before finally discarding the idea.

It was someone using the training ground.

Cautiously he masked his chakra and began to move towards the noise. The logical part of him said it was a bad idea, but he felt the need to indulge his less intelligent curious side for once. Before long he was crouched in a tree a safe distance away from the person training.

Though he couldn't see very well due to his deteriorating eye sight he could make out the fact that he was watching a girl with long, dark blue hair that wore black pants and a plain black shirt with the standard Shinobi pouch on her leg. He was also able to make out a small, lilac form off to the side that could have been her jacket. The last thing that he realized- perhaps the most important- was the fact that she was a Hyuuga, if her pale, whitish-lavender eyes were any indication.

Once more his logical side said he should leave before her Byakugan caught sight of him. Once more he listened to his curious side instead, only double-checking to make sure his chakra was well hidden before resuming his observations of the girl.

She was fast, he could tell, and was as fluid as water with her movements. He could see potential in her even with his bad eyes, but he also saw mistakes. Her strikes were too soft, almost as if she didn't want to hurt the tree she was practicing on, and her body didn't always stay in the correct form for whatever action she was performing. Sometimes her foot was too far forward- making her stance loose and her easy to topple over- and other times her arm lowered just enough to make her already gentle attacks weaker and miss the intended targets.

The last two were easy mistakes for even seasoned ninjas, but the first mistake Itachi attributed to her seemingly natural kind nature. Upon closer inspection he also realized that she seemed exhausted from her training, however long it had been going. Studying her briefly once more he decided she had probably started in the early morning, and considering it was already past noon he was a little impressed. He hadn't seen a great deal of younger ninja so determined with their training these days.

As he continued to watch her for the better part of an hour she finally took a break, wiping sweat from her brow and drinking from a jug of water she had brought with her before proceeding to sit in the grass and lie against the large tree she had been practicing on not too long ago. Even as he watched her eyes began to droop and she began to dose off. In minutes she was sound asleep.

This should have marked the end of his time watching her, but it didn't. After seeing her train as hard as she had he felt like he should "throw her a bone", so to speak. This time he didn't even consider all the risks of what he was about to do- and he knew there were a lot- before he pulled out a pen and paper and quickly jotted down a few pointers to help her improve her technique.

Once he finished he silently leapt from his tree and crept forward, carefully making sure she was still sleeping. When he came to a stop beside her he made sure to look closer at her face, wondering what the face of the girl he had been watching for so long looked like. He blinked in surprise.

She looked to be about his brother's age, but was already a beauty. She didn't appear to be as flashy as other females he had met, but he thought that was part of her charm. As far as he could tell she had the elegant poise of a typical Hyuuga, but the fact that she had no mark on her exposed forehead proved she was not from a branch family and instead of the main family. Perhaps she was even the heiress.

That was when, for the first time in his life, Itachi envied a tree.

He had, in the past, thought about the good parts of being a tree. You never had to talk, nobody really talked to you, and most people ignored you completely. You'd never have to do things you didn't want to and your biggest problems would be termites, fire, and someone chopping you down- the last two being a problem for anyone in his line of work anyway.

Even with all this though, he never really _wanted_ to be a tree until this moment. The thought of resting in the shade with the girl in his arms was nice… and brief. The Uchiha finally decided it was time for his sensible side to return to him. He dropped his helpful note in the grass beside her and readied himself to leave, but before he could his illogical side had one last triumph.

He bent towards her and gave her brow a feather-light kiss.

Before anything else could happen he disappeared into the trees and prepared himself to put on the mask of a monster once more.

~oOo~

Hinata's eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking around her confusedly. The last thing she remembered was lying against a tree and taking a break, but it felt like she had been resting longer than intended. Her pale eyes widened when she realized that she had fallen asleep instead of just resting briefly as she was supposed to do.

She moved her hands to the grass on either side of her to help her stand, only to stop when she heard a faint crinkling sound. She looked to her side to see that a piece of paper was beneath her palm and being pressed further into the ground. She seated herself properly once more and took the piece of paper, looking at it curiously.

The paper itself was a pale cream in color, and the writing on it was neat and done in black ink. She read it carefully, quickly realizing that it was a list of tips to improve her fighting techniques. She flushed at the thought of someone watching her as she trained without her knowing and activated her Byakugan to give a quick sweep of the area. As far as she could tell the person who had been there was long gone.

She was a little disappointed that she didn't know who had been watching her and had been kind enough to leave her a list of ways to advance her fighting abilities. She would have liked to meet them, whoever they were. With a soft sigh she stood, brushed herself off, and began to train again, this time following the suggestions the mysterious person had left her.

Never would she know that she had been the cause of Itachi Uchiha's first moment of weakness since the day he had let his brother be the sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan.


	2. Purple Flowers

AN: Okay… I wasn't supposed to continue this but due to reviews, whining from my sister, and the fact that I'm weak for this couple, I decided to anyway. Well, I'll give it my best shot! ^_^

**Purple Flowers**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

It was quiet in the mass of lush green trees. There was no bird song, no wind rustling leaves, and no animals scampering around the underbrush. It was as if the very forest knew there were dangerous predators stalking silently through its shadows.

Said predators were, in fact, two men wearing the dreaded black cloaks with red clouds on them that only Akatsuki wore. One was blue skinned with dark navy hair and a large bandaged sword on his back. The other was slightly smaller with black hair swept back in a neat ponytail and dark eyes that peered ahead of him intelligently. They were known respectively as Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha.

While Kisame was content with heading towards their latest mission Itachi was distracted, as he had been for several months. It wasn't that he was concerned about the mission- which was easy as all they had to do was go and steal some valuable ornaments from a renowned collector so they could, as Kakuzu put it, "Fund their miserable organization for another year."- but rather he was unable to stop contemplating his memories of a girl he had met all that time ago.

It wasn't as if they had spoken to each other. The girl hadn't even seen him. He just watched her train and gave her a piece of paper with some tips for improving her fighting style written on it after she had accidentally fallen asleep against the tree she had been using for training. _And_, he added mentally with an inward wince, _I was foolish and kissed her_.

He hadn't taken a kiss from her lips or even the cheek. The kiss wasn't romantic or sensual in any way. But the surprisingly tender kiss to her brow held deep _longing_, something he wasn't supposed to show. Not even to an unconscious girl.

Itachi finally broke from his thoughts when he and his companion came across a large clearing, only to stop several yards away from the edge of the tree line. Normally they would go right through the remaining trees and through the meadow and right back into the trees again, taking a straight route right to their target. They would have now if not for the girl sitting in the center of the field picking the delicate purple flowers that surrounded her and gently placing them in a basket beside her.

The Uchiha signaled for his partner to wait before slipping effortlessly through the trees and coming to a stop at the edge of the field of flowers. He tried to focus his fading eyesight on the female before him, taking in her baggy lilac jacket, purplish-blue pants, and long, dark blue hair. Her back was to him, but he realized with a small jolt that it was none other than the Hyuuga girl he had been thinking of only moments before.

He couldn't see her face from his angle, but just like the last time he saw her he was struck by her beauty. He couldn't help but admire how the sun lit up the lighter hues in her hair. He tried to shake himself from his train of thought, instead attempting to figure out why she had ended up where she was. They weren't very close to the Hidden Leaf Village, which meant she was probably on a mission. It probably had nothing to do with his own…

His thoughts trailed off and his mind seemed to go blank when his ears caught the sound of her softly humming a sweet tune he didn't recognize but couldn't help but think fit her. For an instant he was tempted to indulge his foolish side again and just stay there listening to her, but a small, firm headshake made his mind start to work again… even if it was a little slurred from the sound of her continued humming. With some effort on his part he decided it didn't matter why the girl was there so long as she didn't find out about his- or Kisame's- presence.

He turned and made his way back to his impatient companion- who was now frowning in his direction- and stated in a low voice, "We're going around."

"Why?" Came the hushed response, "Its only one girl. We could kill her easily."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the strange sick sensation that filled his belly at those words, "No."

Leaving no room for argument he simply began to walk again. Kisame, however confused he was, simply shrugged in acceptance and followed him.

~oOo~

Hinata Hyuuga hummed happily to herself as she carefully plucked her latest purple flower. She had just finished the mission she had with the rest of Team Eight and they were on their way home when they decided to take a break. During that break she had happened to come across an enormous field of flowers that she had never collected before. Seeing as she had time to she decided to collect a few that she could press later once they got back to the village.

Suddenly Hinata's head snapped up and her Byakugan activated. She checked all around her, but she couldn't see anything unusual. She deactivated her power and frowned. For a moment she could swear she felt someone watching her. With a sigh she stood and grabbed her basket full of flowers before beginning to walk softly away. She must have imagined it.


	3. Seeing Brown

AN: You may have noticed that I changed the story rating to T and added Humor to the genre. This is because the story was extended from its original single chapter and therefore things need to be changed to fit it. And don't worry; the story may not seem very humorous now but it will get better (Though, in the meantime, I'll admit that this chapter's title sounds wrong… whoops).

Thank you for reviews!

**Seeing Brown**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

Not for the first time that day Hinata wondered where it went wrong. It had started out well enough. She and the rest of Team Eight had gotten a mission to capture a man who was working with the Akatsuki and supplying them with things ranging from well-made armor and powerful weapons to simple rations.

Once they started their mission they made their way down an easy path at a decent pace- only stopping once to rest for the night- until they had to veer into the trees for the final leg of the journey. _Perhaps_, Hinata thought tentatively, _that was where it went wrong_. After all, as soon as they had made it a few yards into the forest they unexpectedly came across the very man they had set out to find.

A fierce battle had ensued between them and the man (And his surprising amount of lackeys) before everything took an even worse turn. Out of nowhere two members of the Akatsuki had appeared, the famed Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha. It was presumed that they had shown up to help their supplier until said supplier cursed, grabbed a momentarily distracted Hinata, and knocked her unconscious before making a break for it, leaving her teammates and the two Akatsuki members to fight it out.

When the Hyuuga awoke she was bound, gagged, and had a cloth tied around her eyes. Her first instinct was to use her Byakugan and escape, but when she tried and failed she realized that she was too low on chakra. She knew that she hadn't used that much during the battle so that only left her to suspect that she was being restrained with chakra-draining binds. That, of course, left her tired and relying on nothing but her natural senses.

The first thing she noticed was that she was in a well-lit place. She could tell because the cloth around her eyes- which would normally appear black if she opened her eyes and tried to peer through it- was lit up from the outside to show that the cloth itself was a rich, earthy brown. That didn't mean she could see anything past that, though.

After that she realized that the ground beneath her was made of old, solid wood and had a thick layer of soft dust on it. Beyond that she could smell the thick musk of aged wood and, surprisingly enough, an underlying scent of forest plants. Despite the scent, however, she couldn't feel any wind. From all this information the heiress deduced that she was in an older warehouse with many windows somewhere in the woods. That gave her some hope that her teammates would find her.

The sound of footsteps broke her from her thoughts and made her swivel her head towards the person nearing her as he began to talk, "I see you're awake, girl." The voice was deep and made Hinata shift a little uncomfortably as he continued, "That's good. You were taking so long to wake up I was beginning to think you'd died when I hit you. Where would I be then, without so much as a hostage to keep your pathetic friends at bay?"

Hinata stiffened as he moved in front of her, blocking the light and changing what she saw from brown to black, "And what a pretty hostage," he grabbed her chin and tilted her head towards him, his rancid breath reaching her as he crouched down and went on, a leer evident in his voice, "Perhaps I'll have a little fun with you before I-"

Seizing her chance Hinata suddenly slammed her head forward, her forehead hitting the man's nose with a sickening crunch and a howl as he stumbled away, her bound feet sliding out behind him to trip him up and make him fall. She turned and began to wriggle hastily away, wrists straining against her bonds as she moved. Before she could even make it a yard the man had stood up- still cursing- and staggered over to her to land a powerful kick to her stomach, making her gasp in pain and slide a few feet as she curled into a pained ball.

"How dare you!" he snarled, his enraged voice sounding almost wet, "I'll kill you, you bi-"

A loud smack echoed in the air, and for a moment everything was silent. Eerily silent. And then the Akatsuki's supplier began to whimper and stutter, panic plain in his voice.

"Y… you! Bu… but how are you…? I had g… guards! Hundreds of them! How is it possible-"

He didn't get any further, his voice suddenly turning into a gasp and a terrified drowning gurgle followed by the thud of him falling to the floor. Then silence fell once more, leaving Hinata with the knowledge that the man she had been sent to capture was dead and she was alone with the person that had killed him.

~oOo~

Itachi was tired. For the past month, since seeing the girl for the second time, he had problems sleeping. He didn't understand it. He hadn't been able to remove her from his mind for longer than a minute, and even that was difficult. It made no sense. He didn't know her name and had never even heard her speak, and yet she dominated his thoughts.

"Itachi," the dark-haired man instantly snapped from his reverie and glanced at his companion, who frowned at him, "were you listening to me?"

"Yes." _No_.

"Then you know the plan?" Kisame continued suspiciously.

"Of course." _Not_.

The blue-skinned man, clearly still doubtful, said, "So you know that we just have to sneak by Goro's guards and slit his throat quietly."

The Uchiha nodded and turned his attention back to the branches as he leapt to them effortlessly. Goro Hetsuchi. He was one of the Akatsuki's suppliers (Kakuzu's least favorite because he demanded the most money for his products) and had recently decided to stop helping the Akatsuki and instead sell information about them to rival organizations. This gave Pein (And a very pleased Kakuzu) the excuse to finally kill the vulgar black market dealer.

Itachi was once more brought from his musings when the sound of battle reached his ears, making him glance in Kisame's direction at the familiar sound of kunai being deflected and hitting trees with dull thumps. His partner barely dipped his head in a nod, a small excited grin reaching his face. Shinobi had found their target before them. They didn't have to be subtle anymore.

Kisame sped up his pace impatiently, clearly looking forward to throwing himself into the fray as Itachi simply kept his pace. When the navy-haired man burst from the trees ahead of him he heard surprised yells and quite a few curses, followed by the sound of Goro shrieking for a retreat. Itachi's came into their sight just in time to see Goro hit a girl unconscious and begin to heave her over a shoulder as a hostage. But, to Itachi's shock and dismay, it wasn't just any girl. _It was the Hyuuga girl again_!

He tried his best to ignore the lurch in his gut at the sight of the Akatsuki's old supplier- a known lecher- escaping with the girl. The sound of a kunai landing solidly in the tree trunk next to his head caught his attention and forced him to look towards the remaining group of Leaf Shinobi. Among them was a boy in heavy clothing and sunglasses, the woman known as Kurenai, a large white ninja hound, and an Inuzuka male with brown hair who had been the one to throw the weapon at him.

"Just great! So you came here to help your buddy out, huh? Too bad! He's ours!" the Inuzuka boy yelled up at him, earning a hissed warning from his Sensei while the other male remained silent.

Kisame, who was on the ground and seemingly disappointed at the early cutoff to the battle, suddenly laughed, "Help Goro? Ha! As if. We came to eliminate the traitor."

The black-haired Kunoichi frowned, "I thought Goro was your supplier."

"_Was_."

The smirked reply made the ninja squad shift a little anxiously before Itachi stated emotionlessly, "You should stop concerning yourself with us and instead worry about your missing teammate."

That made the Inuzuka look alarmed as he appeared to notice for the first time that his team was one short, "Oh crap! Hinata!"

Ignoring them, Itachi spoke, "Let's go, Kisame."

With a grumble he obeyed, leaving the Shinobi behind. They then resumed their chase once more, quickly making their way to where their target was. The entire way over Kisame whined about being pulled from a possible fight while Itachi thought distractedly, _So her name is Hinata_.

That confirmed his earlier suspicions of her being an heiress.

Upon arriving to an old warehouse Itachi signaled for Kisame to remain outside waiting- much to the shark-man's annoyance- before easily sneaking past the ridiculously large amount of guards and entering the building through one of the many windows near the roof, where he then proceeded to hide in the shadows on top of a large crate of unknown supplies and scope out the area. He saw Goro- a large, muscled man with a clean-shaven head who sat on a stool near the center of the warehouse- staring impatiently at Hinata's still form as she lay on the dusty floor; bound, gagged, and blindfolded as her normally smooth blue hair now collected dirt.

Itachi's eyes narrowed.

After a few more moments she seemed to wake up, moving around groggily to take in her surroundings to the best of her ability. Goro's demeanor brightened and he stood, stalking closer to the girl and beginning to talk. He crouched and grabbed her face, talking some more. The Akatsuki member couldn't hear what he was saying from his distance, but the look on his face gave him a pretty good guess.

Itachi clenched his fists tightly and tensed his muscles, preparing to leap down when Hinata suddenly lurched forward and rammed her head against Goro's, earning a loud crunch as his nose broke and began to bleed profusely before he howled and stumbled. Hinata then swung her tied legs out and tripped up the dealer, making him fall.

As she began to wriggle away Itachi found himself smirking in satisfaction. All too soon the man stood, clutching his bleeding nose, and moved to her, kicking her in the stomach and ending her escape attempt. He began to shriek loudly enough for Itachi to hear him clearly, but he wasn't listening. His stomach tightened as he saw Goro swing his fist towards Hinata.

Before he could blink Itachi was on the ground in front of the Hyuuga heiress, his hand catching Goro's fist easily. He tightened his grip and dug his nails into the supplier's hand, eyes narrowing dangerously at him. He instantly began to blubber in fear, but once more Itachi didn't listen. In a split second he was behind the hairless male, a kunai at his throat. Before the man could finish his sentence he cut his throat, leaving him to drown in his own blood. Without a word he dropped the lifeless corpse to the ground.

Silence fell in the warehouse, only Itachi and Hinata remaining. Hinata was clearly waiting for something to happen, but Itachi was trying to figure out his next move. He could leave. He _should_ leave. There was no reason to stay. It's not like the girl would thank him. After all, her mission was probably to capture Goro _alive_ and he had just killed him.

And yet when Itachi looked at her slim form trembling slightly from exhaustion he couldn't help but feel pity for her. She looked… young… and too innocent to be a Shinobi. Too kind. A sudden ruckus outside of the warehouse showed that her team had finally arrived and that it was officially time to leave.

The Akatsuki member turned to go, even moving a few quiet feet forward, but before he left he glanced over his shoulder one more time, realizing too late that it was a mistake. One look at her small, delicate frame made his shoulders sag weakly and a silent sigh of defeat escape him. He faced her once more and began to approach her, making sure he walked loudly enough for her to hear him coming.

She stiffened.

As he reached her he crouched. He reached a hand forward, clasped the cloth that gagged her, and gently removed it, placing a finger to her lips afterwards to signal for her to remain silent. The last thing he needed was for her to scream and make her squad come rushing in faster. Speaking of… they were getting really loud out there. And was that Kisame laughing?

Removing his finger from her lips he then pulled out the kunai he had used to kill Goro and moved to the bonds at her ankles. He recognized it easily enough as a thin metal rope that- while surprisingly weak when it came to a blade- worked really well when it came to draining a person's chakra. He cut the bonds with ease and moved to the knot at her wrists.

"Th… thank you."

He had just positioned the kunai at the bonds at her wrist when he heard her soft voice say that, causing him to pause for a moment before giving her a hushed reply, "You're welcome."

With that he cut her bonds, leaving her to remove her blindfold herself. She did so quickly in hopes of seeing her rescuer, but by the time it was removed he was gone.


	4. Blue Serenity

AN: Hello everyone! This is random, but I've been thinking about words recently. I can't help but wonder where words like "hubbub" and "chagrin" come from. Really, who comes up with them? *Random shrug* Oh well. I have, however, decided that my favorite word is "scamper". Why? Because you can make the scariest villain sound lame when you use it. For example, if you say, "The evil man stalked menacingly through the underbrush," it sounds mildly scary. _But_ if you say, "The evil man scampered menacingly through the underbrush," you just burst out laughing. To all my readers out there, what's _your_ favorite word?

Review!

**Blue Serenity**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

Hinata remained in her futon glancing at her loudly snoring teammate as he rolled over in their makeshift tent, snuggling closer in Akamaru's thick white fur. As much as Hinata was tempted to follow his example and also cuddle the large dog she couldn't bring herself to do it. She felt too restless after her earlier experiences that day.

Slowly she pulled back her blanket and sat up, stealthily beginning to crawl towards the small tent's flap. As she lifted it Akamaru raised his head and blinked at her sleepily. Hinata put a finger to her lips and the ninja hound simply lowered his head again.

Without further interruption the Hyuuga slipped from the tent and crept silently past Kurenai and Shino, who were standing guard quietly in the trees above. They noticed her go by and did nothing but give her a small wave. They knew her habits by now and were content with her leaving their makeshift camp so long as she kept her weapons' pouch with her at all times.

Though lacking her usual lilac jacket (She removed it so she could sleep, but kept her black pants, shirt, mesh, shoes, and weapons' pouch on just in case there was an attack in the middle of the night that required instant preparedness) Hinata slipped easily through the forest, following the sound of rushing water that had been audible from their campsite- the reason why they had chosen it in the first place. Her pale face lit up upon reaching the small waterfall that she had been searching for, a soft smile reaching her features at the sight of the large pool of water that collected around it before spilling into a river that wound away through the trees.

Before she continued she activated her Byakugan for a brief search through the trees to make sure there was nobody in the nearby vicinity to watch. She saw no one in the forest. With a small, pleased hum the navy-haired teen removed her shoes and placed them delicately next to the water's edge. That was the only article of clothing she removed for- after an embarrassing experience with Naruto stumbling across her- she knew better. Without making another sound she focused the chakra to her feet and smoothly made her way onto the water, only stopping when she made it to the center of the pool.

Hinata took a deep breath and closed her eyes. What she was about to do was something she had done since she was little. It had originally been for training, but now she did it simply to relax her when she had problems finding sleep. She opened her eyes and exhaled.

And then she began to dance.

~oOo~

It was a problem. That was the only way to describe what was happening to Itachi Uchiha. Hinata Hyuuga, the Hyuuga heiress, was on his mind even more than before since he had heard her softly whispered thank you. It had only been a day since then, but it was enough to make him realize that something was truly wrong.

That, evidently, left only one course of action. Itachi had to ditch Kisame for a night so he could think alone and in peace. Hence why he had moved to a nearby waterfall, going so far as to slip into the hidden niche behind the falling water that had been set up by the Akatsuki for a situation that required them to take a speedy cover.

Once inside he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, immersing himself in his thoughts. First he chose to think about how he had behaved the last time he saw her. When he was in the warehouse he could have done many things. He could have just dropped a paper bomb in without even entering and his job would have been finished. He could have killed both Goro and Hinata to leave no witnesses of his presence. He could have killed her squad, too, for that matter. So many options… and yet he chose to kill the black market dealer not so he could complete his mission- for it was the farthest thing from his mind at the time- but so he could save _her_. A girl he hadn't even spoken to before that day. It was illogical, but then- if his actions at his first two encounters with her were any indication- she had a tendency to make him do illogical things.

It wasn't a good tendency.

The dark-haired Akatsuki couldn't let himself to forget that he couldn't allow himself happiness. He had ended all chances of that when he had chosen to put the Leaf Village before him and kill his Clan… to scar his little brother for life. He was destined to die to bring his brother happiness, and only then would he himself find peace.

The sound of someone approaching snapped him from his thoughts, causing him to open his eyes. As Itachi watched he realized with dread that it was none other than Hinata who approached the waterfall. And, to his dismay, it was too late to leave without alerting her to his position. Of course, as she activated her Byakugan he realized that she might just find him anyway. For a moment he tensed, but when she didn't even think to check the waterfall he relaxed, though in his head he chided her for being as careless as to not search every possible hiding place.

Then she took off her shoes.

For a horrified moment he thought she would continue to strip and begin to bathe, but when that was all she took off he calmed down slightly. After all, while Itachi had incredible self-control he _was_ still male, and when faced with such temptation he wasn't quite sure if he would do the honorable thing and look away.

His attention was drawn from his thoughts to her once more as he watched her move to the center of the pool of water that collected around the waterfall. Through the falling water her image was blurred, her frame only being visible due to the light of the full moon above. Itachi was only lucky that it was hard to see him in the far corner of the dark niche behind the waterfall on such a clear night.

And then, as he watched, her back straightened and her head rose. Slowly and smoothly she began to move, arms and legs raising and lowering in a calming movement. She began to sway, her feet starting to move along the water's surface, carrying her with them. Itachi's eyes widened and his mouth opened a little in amazement.

The Hyuuga was dancing.

Before his very eyes she got more and more into her routine, no doubt hearing the perfect music in her head. Her movements continued fluidly and swiftly as she added more steps to her dance. Her form was silhouetted against the moon's light, only showing her slender form twisting gracefully as her long, navy-blue hair swished and wove around her captivatingly. And then she purposely skimmed one of her bare feet in the water to send a small spray into the air, only to bring them into her dance as well, the small droplets of water floating around her arms and legs as they sparkled like tiny jewels.

To Itachi's dark eyes she was mesmerizing. She was… beautiful.

His last thought startled him, but it still couldn't make him remove his gaze from her dancing form. He had already known that she was attractive, but when he thought it this time it felt different. He had admitted it the first time because it would be the general consensus of anyone who came across her, but now he admitted it because…

He stiffened and swallowed inaudibly, unable to admit the truth quite yet. Instead he just remained where he was and gave the dancing girl his full attention, being perhaps the most attentive audience she had ever had, despite the fact she didn't know of his presence.

At last, her pace began to slow. Her movements got less energetic and her lifting limbs got lower and lower. Her entrancing dance ended with a gentle leg swing across the water and an elegant crouch with her head bowed as her hair finally settled around her stilled form.

In an instant she stood, straightened, and yawned. Without a moment's hesitation she left the water and put her shoes on once more, easily slipping among the dark trees and disappearing. Itachi sighed but remained behind the waterfall.

After her stunning performance and his reaction to it- one he thought akin to an adolescent boy's with how entranced he was- he had to admit to the only possible explanation for his odd behavior. Why he thought of her so often… why he had lost sleep over her… why he had been so concerned for her… why he even acknowledged her at all…

The answer was simple.

He, Itachi Uchiha, had fallen in love with a girl about his brother's age that he barely knew. He cringed at how such a proclamation sounded even in his own head. His illogical side had struck again, this time creating a bigger problem for him that would doubtlessly land him in severe trouble. How could it not? He had somehow fallen for perhaps the most innocent Kunoichi in the entirety of the Shinobi world while he himself was destined to die at the hands of his younger brother. There would never be a chance of happiness for them, even if she did begin to feel for him in such a way, which was highly unlikely as she had never so much as had a conversation with him.

And yet, as he thought of her breathtaking dance on the water he couldn't completely blame himself. Anyone who didn't fall in love with her would have to be mad.

With a sigh he finally slipped out from behind the waterfall. It was time for him to go back to Kisame and get some rest. If the realization he'd come to that night was any indication, he'd need it.


	5. Annoying Orange

AN: Wow… let me just say that when Itachi falls in love he falls _fast_ and he falls _hard_.

Review!

**Annoying Orange**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

Itachi didn't know if he was fortunate or unfortunate.

It could be considered a good thing that his latest mission required him to follow the nine tails Jinchuriki- who happened to be on a mission with Hinata Hyuuga- but then it could be considered bad. Very bad. After all, he was supposed to be watching _Naruto Uzumaki_, not the beautiful girl a little ways behind him. Not that knowing this made it happen any less, of course. He did his best to keep his focus on the blonde who hopped around as excitedly as a puppy, but nevertheless he found his eyes straying towards the Hyuuga every time.

_Perfect_, he groaned inwardly, _I'll have to report that the first mission I failed was because I kept getting distracted by a girl and couldn't keep my focus on my target_. He sighed, _At least Pein will be shocked into silence for a while. And none of the other Akatsuki will believe me_. He rubbed his temple lightly and returned his attention to Naruto.

The blonde Jinchuriki was in the front of his squad, pleasantly marching and laughing, his bright orange jumpsuit almost painful to look at. Behind him was a pink-haired Kunoichi who frowned at his antics known as Sakura Haruno and the silver-haired Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. In the back of the group was Kiba Inuzuka and his white ninja hound, Akamaru; both of which had been on the last mission that Itachi had seen the Hyuuga.

And then there was Hinata.

Her long navy hair lit up in lighter shades in the rays of the bright sun above, and her pale, milky eyes stared fondly at the people ahead of her. She was positioned in the back of the group with the Inuzuka, walking calmly next to the large white dog as she rubbed him behind his ears in a way that he appeared to enjoy. Itachi couldn't stop the surge of envy he felt for the dog, who was getting all the attention from the Hyuuga that he himself wanted.

Realizing that he had become distracted once more he turned his attention towards the blonde at the head of the group, listening to his conversation with the pink-haired girl in another attempt to focus, "Hey, Sakura? You _sure_ you don't want to have ramen with me when we get back the village?"

"Naruto!" she snapped, having apparently heard this before, "I already told you I don't want ramen! We had it last time we got back from a mission, and the time before that, and the time before that! I want something else for once!"

"How about barbeque?" Kiba suggested from the back, practically salivating at the thought of meat, "Haven't had that in a while."

Sakura perked up, "That sounds good."

Naruto grumbled, "Fine, you can have your barbeque!" he looked over at Hinata and instantly brightened, "But you'll have ramen with me, won't you Hinata?"

The girl flushed and averted her eyes, her fingers moving in front of her to poke each other nervously, "W… well… um… N… Naruto…" His blue-eyed gaze continued to bore into her, making her blush even fiercer, "Y… yes!"

"Woohoo!"

The Jinchuriki began to hop even more, leaving Itachi to stare blankly at the sight before him. He took in the Hyuuga's bright red face, Naruto's oblivious expression, and the unfazed look everyone else had before letting his eyes open a little wider in surprise. The first person he had ever fallen in love with loved someone else… she loved a complete idiot. The black-haired Uchiha swallowed inaudibly. Perhaps it was just a crush, puppy love? _No_, he thought, thinking of everyone else's unsurprised looks, _if their expressions were any indication then this has been going on too long to be anything new_.

The Akatsuki member deflated a little at the realization that his hopeless romance had just become even more hopeless. _At least_, he decided, _Hinata will find happiness. The boy she liked may be a fool but there was no way he could possibly not feel the same for her; she was just too perfect_.

He resumed his watch on Naruto, this time looking at him carefully for any signs that he was right. Blushing, the occasional glance, anything at all. Instead he saw Naruto shift and maintain his focus on nobody other than Sakura, talking and earning a violent punch to the head from her. Even afterwards he remained attentive only to the pink-haired Kunoichi.

His eyes narrowed.

So he didn't like Hinata. He liked Sakura. Itachi stiffened, momentarily pausing in his movements of following the group of Shinobi in order to put things straight in his head. He loved Hinata, Hinata liked Naruto, Naruto liked Sakura, and Sakura, as he had overheard from an earlier conversation, liked Sasuke. Sasuke, however, only wanted to kill him. Where did that leave him?

Though he wanted to continue trying to puzzle out his dilemma he forced himself to start moving again and change his thoughts to something else. Like how Naruto could like Sakura, who beat him and clearly cared for another, when Hinata was so obviously taken with him and watching over him like a goddess. He saw the pink-haired Kunoichi whack Naruto's blonde head again, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

Perhaps he had masochistic tendencies?

Itachi closed his dark eyes briefly before opening them again in another attempt to observe his blonde target, though he had to admit that this time he was a little bitterer with his judgments. Who wouldn't be after discovering that the perfect girl had been virtually jilted by the only person that she actually wanted?

It was at that moment that the Uchiha realized just how much he disliked the color orange.

His attention was diverted back to their conversation as Kakashi- their only Jonin in the squad- sighed, "Maybe you should finish the mission before you decide what to eat afterwards, hm?"

"Oh yeah," Naruto chuckled before asking, "Hey, what _is_ our mission anyway?"

It went silent and Itachi's eye twitched imperceptibly. There was no way. No way at all. Even Itachi knew what their mission was and he hadn't even been there when it was assigned to them. Before he could even think about it his hand flew to his face with a dull smack that echoed through the air.

~oOo~

Hinata was content walking at the back of her group, rubbing Akamaru's ears and answering when she was spoken to. Her mission wouldn't be a quiet one as long as Naruto was there, but it would be an entertaining one. The mission itself wasn't too horrible, with her and her team only having to track down an old Leaf Village artifact that had been stolen recently and retrieve it. The only catch to this was that they couldn't just take it from the person who had stolen it but instead had to follow him and take it from the person who had hired him to steal it in the first place, capturing him as well. All that was the reason why everyone in her squad had been selected; her and Kiba to find them and Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto to take them all down.

The Hyuuga blinked from her musings and looked at her surroundings, realizing that she and her team had only made it a little over three miles away from the village. Considering they were trying to give the thief- a rather slow, non-Shinobi man- some time to make it to his client, it wasn't bad time.

She turned her attention to the people ahead of her, noticing their talk of food just as Naruto asked if she would have ramen with him once they got back to the village. For a moment Hinata choked, face going red as she stuttered and struggled to answer the simple question. She did, only then noticing that her fingers had moved of their own accord to poke each other in a nervous habit.

Forcing her hands to move down she looked back at Naruto, watching him as he turned his eyes back to Sakura. He continued to chatter giddily, earning two punches to his head from Sakura and making Hinata wince. She wished that Naruto wasn't getting hit all the time. It looked like it hurt.

"Maybe you should finish the mission before you decide what to eat afterwards, hm?"

Hinata blinked at Kakashi's words as Naruto said, "Oh yeah," chuckling afterwards and asking, "Hey, what _is_ our mission anyway?"

There was a disbelieving silence after his words before Kakashi, Sakura, and Kiba all hit their foreheads with their palms in exasperation, four dull smacks echoing in the air. _Wait, four?_ Hinata stopped, _There shouldn't be four. Only three people did it. But if there were four slaps that means…_

The Hyuuga turned and activated her Byakugan, eyes widening at the sight that greeted her. Behind a tree multiple yards away was a black-haired Akatsuki member with his palm on his forehead and an almost pained expression on his face. She realized with a gasp that it was Itachi Uchiha.

Kakashi, having also realized another person was with them, threw several kunai at the man. He dodged them and, for a moment, disappeared. By now the other members of the squad had figured out that they weren't alone and pulled out a kunai as they slipped into a battle-ready stance. And then the Akatsuki member reappeared, standing on the outskirts of the trees and in plain view of everyone.

Naruto let out a yelp and Kakashi narrowed his eyes menacingly, "Itachi Uchiha."


	6. Red With Embarrassment

AN: Brief note to all my readers out there- my Spring Break just ended so I don't know how regularly I'll be posting chapters of this now. I might keep up the pace I've had or I might slow down, in which case I apologize but school work (regrettably) comes first. Also, I would like to mention that I suck at fight scenes. I'll improve on them eventually, but until then I'll probably leave them a bit vague. Sorry.

Review!

**Red With Embarrassment**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

Once more Itachi wondered if he was fortunate or unfortunate.

Getting discovered so soon after starting his mission wasn't good, and neither was the fight that had started up quickly afterwards. But… what happened after that? It wasn't so bad. Or at least, that's what Itachi thought. The others probably didn't agree though.

It all started with the fight itself. He had squared off against Kakashi, then Naruto, and then he had ended up with Hinata. That was when it got interesting. The battle against her never involved any Jutsu from the Akatsuki member's side due to him being too concerned to hit her and instead thinking of it as more of a training exercise. The Hyuuga, however, was using her full force.

She twisted and spun and struck, as agile as a wild cat and just as ferocious. Itachi could appreciate her determination and was rather impressed with her flexibility, but what stood out to him the most was her actual attacks. Some of them were the same ones she had been practicing when he had first stumbled across her, and he noticed with a certain amount of smugness that she had taken his advice to improve her technique.

Not that she knew it was his advice, but still.

Itachi slipped from his thoughts in time for Hinata to thrust her palm at him in an attempt to use her bloodline trait on him, attempt being the key word. Just as her hand was about to strike him he grabbed her wrist and spun her around, instantly disabling her attack. He finished what he started by grabbing her other arm and twisting it to be pinned behind her back with the other one before placing his arm over her front to pull her closer.

What resulted was her being trapped against his muscled chest- which, while covered by a loose cloak, was still clearly noticeable- with her arms held firmly by one of his hands and pressed to immovability at her back while his remaining arm wrapped around her front and holding her to complete stillness. She was stuck and her entire squad knew it.

But that didn't explain the odd looks that had appeared on their faces and the strange rigidness that had taken over the heiress's form. It was natural for a Shinobi to go stiff when they were captured and likely to be used against their team, but this was different. Hinata's posture was less "captured by the enemy" and more… embarrassed?

The Uchiha then noticed the completely red, mortified expression on her face. He glanced at her teammates to try to gauge their own unexplainable reactions. Naruto and the Kunoichi had allowed their jaws to go slack. The Inuzuka had frozen in his position of about to join the fight and help Hinata. Kakashi was just standing there, both eyes exposed, and both incredibly wide. The dark-haired ninja frowned slightly from the cover of his Akatsuki cloak, pondering their puzzling responses.

And that was when he noticed it. He realized that his hand had felt oddly cushioned, comfortably resting on a padded surface. Too comfortably and too padded. Just _what_ was his hand touching? Her stomach- his intended target- wasn't that soft and pliable. What could…

His thoughts stopped as comprehension hit him.

No way.

No possible way.

He swallowed thickly and peeked over the still-frozen Hyuuga's shoulder, only to confirm his suspicions. Itachi Uchiha had, when he caught Hinata, accidentally grabbed her breast. Which was where his hand still remained. Quite contently.

No wonder Hinata had gone so stiff- she was probably trying not to faint!

With an uncomfortable clearing of his throat the Akatsuki member forced himself to remove his hand from her chest and lower it to her stomach, unable to do so much as apologize before the other Shinobi's brains had finally fully processed what had happened.

Naruto was the first to react, shrieking and lurching away from him, "Holy crap! Itachi's a closet pervert!"

"You creepy bastard! Let go of Hinata!"

That was Kiba, but Sakura quickly followed by covering her chest with arms with a scandalized look on her face, "You stay away from me or I'll hit you so hard you'll feel it for the rest of your life!"

The blonde Jinchuriki instantly turned to her and tried to be comforting in his own energetic way, failing drastically, "Don't worry, Sakura! You've got nothing to worry about in that area!"

The pink-haired girl's eyebrow twitched and Itachi winced slightly at what was to come. Barely a moment passed by before Naruto was lying on the ground, unconscious and unmoving and thoroughly beaten up by his teammate. Though he felt pity for the idiot the Uchiha knew it was his own fault for basically called her flat-chested… which she kind of was. Hinata however…

He forced his mind to take a U-turn from where it was heading, instead moving his gaze to check Hatake's response to all that had happened. To his mild relief the Copy Ninja didn't seem as accusatory as the others, having probably realized that it was an accident. Or perhaps he himself was such a big pervert that he knew he wasn't in any position to ridicule. Either was possible.

Sakura, being the first one to recover from her apparent disgust lunged forward with a yell, "Take this!"

The Kunoichi hit the ground with a Chakra-infused fist, forcing the earth beneath Itachi and Hinata to erupt jaggedly upward. The Akatsuki member easily leapt backwards, making it away from the attack and dragging Hinata with him to save her from it as well.

As he flew back through the air, with his back facing the ground and Hinata pressed even tighter against his chest with a yelp, his irrational side made its appearance again. Slowly and purposely his hands released her arms and each moved to embrace her, as if to keep her a little closer to him so he wouldn't lose his grip on her when they landed. Of course, at that moment, his hands slid smoothly up to get a grip on a more… specific… part of her.

She squeaked and they landed, him holding her even tighter to him as he skidded back several yards. Once they stopped he regretfully removed his hands from their newfound perch and instead moved them to her shoulders as he stood them both up straight. He whispered in her ear in response to rescuing her from her teammate's "friendly" fire.

"You're welcome."

And then he was gone, leaping through the trees at an astounding rate. He had just had to leave a mission early, fight a pointless battle, and done something highly illogical that leaned more towards the blunt word of stupid.

So why did he feel so ridiculously satisfied with himself?

~oOo~

"You're welcome."

Her pale eyes widened at the familiar words of the Akatsuki member, but she was unable to speak. Without another sound he disappeared before the dust could clear, leaving her stand in a daze until her squad would get to her. She didn't move, didn't think. Just stood.

And then the knowledge of what he had been touching on her before he had left finally clicked in her head, making her face flush a brilliant red.

"Whoops…" Sakura cringed from further up the road, realizing that she had almost harmed the sweet Hyuuga, "Hinata? Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?" The blue-haired girl didn't answer from the rapidly thinning dust cloud. Instead, face a bright scarlet, she just stumbled and fell to the ground.

She fainted.

Both of the remaining Chunin bolted towards their fallen comrade in terror, yelling in concern while they did, "Hinata!"

Kakashi remained where he was, covering his Sharingan eye once more as he thought about the actions that had occurred. Itachi hadn't meant to grab Hinata where he had the first time, but the second time? Not so much. Just before the pair had become hidden within the dust cloud Kakashi had seen Uchiha make his move, and while he had disguised it to make it seem more like he was distracted by trying to not drop her the Copy Ninja knew that wasn't the case. This was because Kakashi, having known Itachi before he had left the village, also knew that Itachi never made the same mistake twice.

_Ever_.

Unbeknownst to his team Kakashi muttered silently, "You're slyer than anyone gives you credit for, Itachi."


	7. Pleasantly Pink

AN: Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, but I _did_ warn you that school would slow down my updates (Though I must also confess that I was busy working on my other stories as well) and I'm regretful to admit that it will not improve until school is out… which will not be for another few months. *Long-suffering sigh* Meanwhile, I'm happy all of you seemed to enjoy the last chapter and hope you will enjoy this one as well! ^_^

Review!

**Pleasantly Pink**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

Hinata sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly from her sitting position on her bed. She had just returned home from a training session and was utterly exhausted, but she knew she couldn't go to sleep before she had a chance to bathe and dry off. With that thought she stood from her invitingly comfortable bed and grabbed a change of clothes before making her way to the large, warm baths that belonged to the Main Branch of the Hyuuga Clan.

Upon arriving she couldn't help but marvel a little at the size. She had been using them her whole life, but the overwhelming largeness of the baths always made her feel small. That thought made her sigh softly and acknowledge that she appreciated the public baths in the village more.

With another yawn threatening to slip past her lips the Hyuuga stripped of her clothes and slid easily into the warm water, the aches of her training instantly beginning to ease away. As she began to wash her mind wandered over to what had happened only weeks before on her last mission.

The mission that her and her squad had run into Itachi Uchiha.

Her cheeks flamed a brilliant scarlet at the reminder. It had been bad enough that her friends and teammates- that _Naruto_\- had seen what had happened, but then she had fainted. With both her and her blonde crush unconscious (Naruto from a beating that Sakura gave him due to a thoughtless comment he made) Kakashi and Kiba had barely enough time to complete their mission while Sakura was left to attend to them. And the mission report…

Hinata's face turned a deeper shade of red.

Both she and Naruto had awoken in time to find out the mission was over, and when they got back all of them were required to explain what had happened during their mission. Every. Single. Detail. Upon the news of the… uh… groping… both Lady Tsunade and Shizune froze and laughed a little before inquiring about what had _really_ happened. When they remained firm with their story it had left the Hokage speechless and completely stunned, an impressive feat if there ever was one.

Of course, Hinata almost fainted again when the blonde woman had asked bluntly, "Do you know how many women would have _killed_ to be in your position at that time?"

The reason she said that being that everyone knew of the legendary Uchiha genetics that bred painfully attractive men… and women. But mainly men.

What was even worse than that was the fact that the news of an Akatsuki member groping her had somehow spread throughout the Shinobi community, making for very persistent girl talk from various Kunoichi, an enraged father, and a very angry cousin who had threatened to castrate the culprit should he ever see him. Considering it was the ever rational Neji Hyuuga who had said that, Hinata was more than a little concerned.

Beginning to feel dizzy- and not being quite sure whether or not it was just the warmth of the water she was sitting in- Hinata made her frazzled mind switch directions. Now the Hyuuga was thinking about the last words the Uchiha had said to her. _You're welcome_.

At the time she had recognized the familiarity of the voice and the words it said, but she had been too busy fainting- and later wondering if he was talking about saving her from her squad member's ill-timed attack or grabbing her chest region- to ponder further on it.

Now she had the opportunity to think more on it, so she did. When she had first heard the words said at the warehouse from the person who had freed her she didn't have a clue about his identity. After hearing the mission report she had heard that the Akatsuki had been in the area- Kisame Hoshigaki even brawling in front of the warehouse until he was called away by his partner- and that Itachi Uchiha had been missing up until that point.

That had been her first inkling, but she had still had her doubts. After all, why would an Akatsuki member save her? Why would he not kill her along with Goro Hetsuchi? Why would he _untie_ her?

None of what had happened made sense, but all suspicions were confirmed when he had repeated his words. She now knew for certain that Itachi Uchiha had been the one to save her, but she still had no clue as to _why_. She had been trained as a Shinobi to see all possible angles and advantages to a move made by another Shinobi, but she couldn't figure out what an advantage to saving her could possibly be to a Sharingan user in the Akatsuki.

Closing her eyes Hinata just sunk lower into the water and let it soothe her bruised limbs. _I've thought about this enough for the night_, she thought firmly, _Now I must finish bathing and go to sleep_. With that thought she only leaned her head against the edge of the bath and fell into a swift slumber.

~oOo~

Itachi slipped silently through the backstreets of the surprisingly lively Leaf Village, which was lit up with lights on what would otherwise be a pitch black night with the thin sliver of moon remaining covered by heavy clouds. He was in the place of his birth for a mission from the Akatsuki. It only required him to sneak into the Hyuuga compound and steal a scroll with a few minor secrets of their Clan (Kakuzu claimed it would still gain them a lot of money in an auction), but Itachi had readily accepted the assignment for a chance to spot the Hyuuga beauty again.

_But I shouldn't have_, he mentally chided himself, _I have already crossed too many lines where she is concerned. The worst of which, _he mused_, being during our last encounter._ After all, who would have ever thought that he, Itachi Uchiha, would go so far as to… _feel up_… a girl no older than his brother?

The dark-haired Shinobi sighed softly and closed his eyes, pausing at an empty street corner before continuing to make his way closer to his destination. Upon finally reaching the Hyuuga compound, too far to be spotted by the guards posted and their special eyes, he thought back to the plan that was set up for him. There was a single opening for him to get through, one created when the guards moved by at one precise time that would occur any moment now.

With a baited breath he waited until the blind spot was available and took it, disappearing from the outside of the compound and reappearing on the inside in a sudden flash before soundlessly gliding into the building as well. He moved at a quick pace down the narrow halls, every sense alert as he made his way to the Hyuuga Clan archives (He knew its location due to being briefed about it beforehand).

He reached it with minimal effort and gained what he was after just as easily, tucking the small scroll inside of his Shinobi pouch. Normally he would have hidden it in his Akatsuki cloak, but he had opted to not wear that due to how big of a target it put on him. Instead he had chosen to wear a black shirt, pants, mesh undershirt, and sandals with his long black hair tied in a low ponytail that hung down his back.

Without waiting any longer he began to leave, and he would have, too… if not for the soft sound of humming that had finally reached his trained ears. He stopped moving and stiffened. His dark eyes slowly turned towards the door he had been passing by, hand inching closer to the handle and quietly opening it a crack so he could peer inside.

The sight that greeted him left him breathless.

Hinata was standing in the warm bath water, steam swirling around her enticingly. She still moved with grace through the liquid, which sloshed gently against her legs as she moved. Her long, navy hair cascaded over her shoulders and faintly traced the water with its tips, dampening them. As she turned her pale, amazing eyes within his range of vision he felt his heart stop for a moment.

In the Uchiha's eyes he was no longer watching a simple woman bathing; he was watching a goddess.

His dark eyes remained glued to her, unable to remove themselves from the sight before him. As he continued to stare stupidly a small, sardonic corner of his mind seemed to sigh, _I guess that answers whether I'm honorable enough to look away from a bathing beauty. _ His derisive inner thoughts paused before adding,_ At the very least, __**this**__ bathing beauty. Self-control is truly nothing compared to temptation of this magnitude._

He continued to watch her, barely keeping his eyes focused on her face, where her cheeks were flushed a light pink from the heat of the bath. Despite his urge to look a little lower- something _any_ straight male would want to do- he forced himself to simply watch her ever-changing expressions as she appeared lost in thought. He soon found it to be a rather entertaining pastime as the look on her face changed from embarrassed to perplexed before finally settling on tired. As the Uchiha observed she slid further into the water- easing some of his distractions- before she leaned her head back against the edge of the bath and fell asleep.

Itachi's breath caught in his throat and he had the sudden impulse to sneak in and join her.

Wincing at the thought he repeated firmly to himself, _I will not stoop so low. I will not stoop so low. I will not stoop so low. I will not…_

By the fourth repetition he realized just how _badly_ he wanted to stoop that low.

It's not like anyone would find out…

_No_, he hissed mentally, _I will __**not**__ sneak into a bath with a girl as old as my brother in the middle of the __**Hyuuga**__ compound. Peeping, _he cringed as he realized that was indeed what he was doing,_ is bad enough. If I get caught- and it's likely that I will if I keep this up- I will get killed. __**Slowly**__ and __**painfully**__ if the rest of the Hyuugas have anything to say about it._

He shook his head, eyes closing for a moment to once more try to puzzle through his predicament, _I have, against all odds, fallen in love with this girl. I know that. But I also know that I must someday die to give my brother happiness. I can't get around that and don't deserve to after everything I've done. My mission in life isn't for my own happiness, but for his. I can never leave the Akatsuki except for in death so I can save both Sasuke and the Hidden Leaf Village. None of these goals are going to be achieved if I get caught spying on the Hyuuga heiress bathing and then get beaten to death!_

Itachi's eyes darted back to the girl sleeping in the bath and his irritating illogical side practically whimpered, _But I really, __**really**__ want to_.

The dark-haired Uchiha swallowed thickly, _There must be a way around this. Some way to satisfy my need to see her as well as fulfill my duties to everything else._

The renowned genius of the Uchiha Clan came up blank.

No matter what he did there would always be risk in it. If he never looked at her again he'd still have to keep his real mission secret to the Akatsuki, and if he quit the Akatsuki in an ill-advised attempt to be with her he'd die anyway. There was no way to come safely out of this that he could see, so that left only one, irrational option that a part of him rather liked.

He'd just continue what he was doing.

If he was going to die no matter what, he might as well remain watching her, for that seemed to be the only thing that brought him any peace of mind. _Besides_, he rationalized, _I'll only be watching over her to ensure that she- like my younger brother- finds happiness in her life… with someone other than Naruto Uzumaki_. Itachi imperceptibly wrinkled his nose in distaste, _The Jinchuriki simply doesn't deserve her if he's going to be foolish enough to be so completely __**blind**__ to her obvious affection for him._

Glancing at the beautiful teen once more he made the quick decision to finally leave… after waking her up to make sure she didn't get sick, of course. He closed the door to the bath loud enough to wake her up with a jolt, disappearing before she even had the chance to activate her Byakugan and search for an intruder.

As Itachi hurriedly left the village he couldn't help but feel pleased with the events that had occurred that night.

AN: I'll have you all know that writing this chapter was very awkward with my sister staring at me from across the room whining about wanting me to update this.


	8. Painfully Yellow

AN: Yay! Another update! Take that, school!

Also- this is just my moment to be thrilled- this is my longest chapter yet for this fanfiction! Woohoo! XD

Please review and wish me luck on my exams next week! I'll need it…

**Painfully Yellow**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

Kisame Hoshigaki stood off to the side in the Akatsuki's temporary hideout, watching from the corner of his pale eyes as his partner slipped out the door- without an assigned mission- for the fifth time that month. Once the door was closed again he frowned. His partner had never before been the type to leave a hideout for anything other than a mission.

So why would he start now?

The swordsman's frown deepened into an annoyed scowl. _Well_, he sighed, _Pein and Konan are in the same compound as us for the first time in ages for an in-person assessment on how everything is going, so I might as well use it while I can._

Wordlessly he moved from his spot and stalked through several hallways and rooms, only stopping upon reaching a single, inauspicious wooden door. He knocked once and waited, hearing a toneless "Enter" before slowly swinging it open. The man walked cautiously in, turning his gaze to the orange-haired male with multiple facial piercings and the woman with a white origami flower perched in her blue hair who were both standing near a tiny window that sunlight filed faintly through.

"What are you here for, Hoshigaki?"

Kisame could tell from Pein's tone that his visit wasn't expected or readily welcomed. He sighed, "Itachi's been acting strange lately."

The pair before him each raised an eyebrow at the statement, marring their usually impassive faces, "How so?"

"Well," he ran a hand through his spiked dark blue hair, "he's been leaving the compound a lot, for one."

"He's always leaving temporary hideouts," Pein waved a dismissive hand, "How else would one accomplish his mission?"

The swordsman frowned again, "He's leaving when he _doesn't_ have missions."

The leader of the Akatsuki paused, considering his words before he spoke slowly, "… Continue."

"He's also been distracted for months now, and whenever I ask him about it he shrugs it off."

Konan's lips tilted downwards, "Itachi Uchiha? Distracted? I haven't noticed it in our time here, and his mission reports have been as flawless as ever."

Kisame huffed agitatedly, "But _I_ _**have**_ noticed. And his mission reports? Used to take him thirty minutes to write the entire thing." All of which usually lasted five to thirty pages, depending on the mission, "Now it takes him _forty-three_."

Now _that_ caught their attention, "What else?"

"He keeps getting this strange look in his eyes." He paused before amending his statement, "Actually, that's not the weird part. The weird part is that he has _any_ type of look in his eyes _at all_."

The duo before him shared a small, not-quite-concerned look before Konan asked seriously, "Do you suspect him of being traitorous?"

"No," Kisame grumbled, "but I think he's being damn creepy."

Pein nodded, "Very well. Did Uchiha leave yet?"

"Yes," the large man nodded, "Just a few minutes ago."

"Then you are to follow him and figure out what he's doing and whether or not he's a threat. Afterwards you will report back to us with your findings. Understood?"

Hoshigaki's grimace answered Pein's glower, "Understood."

~oOo~

Hinata was a quiet girl. It was a well-known fact throughout the village. Ino, however, was not. That was another well-known fact. Perhaps that was how they managed to be such good friends, with one doing almost all the talking and the other practically none at all. Regrettably, things got rather difficult when one of them tried to change that.

"C'mon, Hinata! Tell me more!"

The Hyuuga flushed at her blonde friend's verbal prodding, "I… Ino… I, um…"

Her female companion pouted, "Please? I need to know what your opinion of this dress is."

She was, of course, referring to the pretty off-white summer dress that flowed down to her knees and had delicate blue flower patterns scattered around it that she was currently in the middle of trying on.

"It's…" Hinata fumbled for words, "… pretty?"

Ino grinned teasingly, "I know that, silly. Why else do you think I took it off the rack? I'm asking whether or not it looks good on me."

Hinata mumbled, "It l… looks good on y… you."

The Yamanaka got a triumphant look on her face, "I knew you'd say that eventually." She turned and went back to the changing room of the store so she could get ready to make her purchases, "What about you? Anything you'd like to try on?"

"N… no, Ino, I'm fine."

Ino seemed to shrug from behind the door before responding, "Well, suit yourself. But I think there's a dress a few racks away that would look _great_ on you."

Hinata shook her head weakly as her friend came out of the changing room in her normal clothes, several outfits draped carelessly over an arm, "I don't n… need any new clothes, Ino. I'm f… fine with what I have."

"Hm," her friend spared a quick glance at her loose-fitting, dark blue pants and baggy lilac jacket, "If you say so." There was another pause as she walked away and placed her chosen clothing on a counter to be bought, Hinata trailing after her, "Do you want to go anywhere after this? We could get lunch, or maybe go look at things in another store?"

"S… sorry, Ino," the shy Hyuuga apologized, "I have to go check in with my f… father after we leave here."

The blonde deflated before asking, "What about afterwards?"

Hinata lowered her head a little sadly, "I was g… going to train when I was d… done."

"Oh, alright. I'll just walk you home, then."

"Thank you." Hinata smiled gratefully, managing to not stutter.

Ino replied with a shrug, "No problem."

With that they left the store and walked breezily to the Hyuuga compound, only stopping occasionally to greet a friend or compliment an item in the window of a passing store. When they reached the entrance to Hinata's home the friends hugged briefly before Ino pulled away.

"Good luck with your father, Hinata," the blonde paused before adding impishly, "And try not to get groped while I'm away!"

Hinata flushed and gasped after her retreating friend, "I… Ino!"

She laughed and disappeared around a corner, leaving Hinata to simply stand there. Ino was able to joke about what had happened now that it had been almost two months since the experience, but it still unnerved the Hyuuga with each reminder. Ever since her discovery while she had been bathing she had been confused and- though she suspected she was just imagining it- felt as if she were being watched. However, whenever she activated her Byakugan she would see nothing.

The navy blue-haired teen sighed softly and looked down at her jacket only to realize that there was long, blonde hair all over it. Ino, as she had come to find out early on in their friendship, was a hugger. Her hugging, combined with the fact that she had long hair, tended to mean that she left strands of her hair wherever she went. Hinata didn't mind. It just meant that she had to spend a little time plucking the hair from her clothes.

She was about to do just that when she heard one of the Hyuuga guards calling out, "Lady Hinata. Your father would like to speak with you."

"O… okay!"

Stray hair forgotten she hurriedly walked into her home.

~oOo~

Itachi slipped through a blind spot in the Leaf Village's defenses that had been left there for him by the previous Hokage should he ever need it. _If he knew I was using it to spy on the Hyuuga heir_, he mused, _he'd be rolling over in his grave right now_.

Trying to ignore his distracting thoughts from that moment on the Uchiha was careful to slip from shadow to shadow and tree to tree as he snuck through the village, staying on constant alert in order to keep himself hidden from villagers and Shinobi. He knew that it would have been a better idea to watch the Hyuuga during the night- or not at all- but after his first few visits he found it more enjoyable to watch her go about her daily activities. Not that he didn't enjoy watching her sleep as peacefully as she did, but it made him feel… surprisingly guilty.

He was instantly snapped from his thoughts when he saw a flash of navy blue in the corner of his eye, turning on his perch in a tree he had landed on to see his target leaving the Hyuuga Compound. Just as every time he saw her she was breathtaking with her long hair fluttering lazily in the wind and her pearlescent eyes almost glowing in the light. Itachi knew at that moment he would have been more than willing to remain watching her for the rest of his existence if he could.

That was when Itachi's failing eyes finally noticed something. When she had shifted a little so she could turn a corner a ray of sunlight flashed across her chest, making what appeared to be hair flash brightly and revealing that it was all over Hinata's front. That wouldn't have been so alarming if it hadn't been for its color. It was_ blonde_ hair.

Hyuugas didn't have blonde hair.

_None_ of them did.

In that moment the Uchiha's dark eyes narrowed in distaste as an irrational surge of jealousy swept through him. _Naruto_, his thoughts hissed venomously. He had never seen her with any other blonde in the village. _The only question_, he wondered sourly, _is how the fool managed to get his hair all over her, and in the chest region of all places_.

As if he had read his mind the teenaged boy he had been thinking of suddenly turned a corner and walked right into Hinata. Itachi bristled in his tree. He saw Uzumaki looking apologetic for running into the girl and Hinata flushing an amazing shade of red, but was too far away to hear what they were saying. As he observed them Naruto's demeanor went suddenly gloomy and Hinata looked concerned. They talked a little bit more before the boy suddenly got excited and… and… _hugged Hinata!_

The blonde then grabbed her hand and began to tug the crimson-faced Hyuuga away, unaware of the man who was full of killer intent in a nearby tree. The Akatsuki member growled softly, thoughts viscous as he gave himself completely to his irrational side.

_Naruto... today you die._

~oOo~

Hinata was flushed and embarrassed, fingers poking each other idly as she glanced nervously at the one trotting gleefully next to her. When Naruto had run into her he had told her that he was upset because Sakura had turned him down for a date (Again) and had been a little rougher with the refusal than usual. She had, in fact, given Naruto such a strong punch to the jaw when he was persistent in his hopeful begging that he had ended up flying quite a bit a way.

The Hyuuga, sympathetic to his plight and completely forgetting how she had earlier said that she would train after talking with her father, had offered to go with him somewhere instead in an attempt to cheer him up_. I still can't believe I said I'd go with him_, her mind buzzed, slightly panicky, _I was so bold, and it's almost going to be like… like… a date!_ She suddenly squeaked and covered her face with her hands, but her companion paid no notice as he was used to her behaving oddly around him.

After a moment she glanced around her hands to look at her blonde companion once more, a blush still on her cheeks, as she wondered why he had accepted her offer. _I suppose_, her thoughts sighed sadly, _to him ramen is ramen, no matter who it may be eaten with_. The teen lowered her hands from her face as her mind continued, _He would still probably prefer to eat with Sakura, though_.

Before her line of thinking could continue, however, a loud crash followed by an agonized yelp and several mild curses rang through the air, "Ow!"

Hinata jumped and turned to look at Naruto, who- for a moment- had lagged a little behind. He was clutching his head and hopping up and down in pain, pieces of smashed pottery, potted dirt, and ruined tulips littered around him.

"N… Naruto! What h… happened?"

The heiress's tentative question was answered by a groan, "Owww… I think a potted plant fell on my head from a window up there."

He pointed a finger above him while his other hand remained clutching his skull. Hinata's pale eyes followed his finger and looked at the only window above them, several floors up in what seemed to be an apartment complex. She winced sympathetically upon realizing how high up it had fallen from before glancing back at the blonde. _Poor Naruto. He's so unlucky_.

A small tingling sensation went up her spine at that moment, alerting her that she was being watched.

The Hyuuga activated her Byakugan and briefly searched the surrounding area, only to find nothing as she had so many times before. She deactivated her Kekkei Genkai and frowned lightly.

_What is going on?_

~oOo~

Itachi chuckled darkly from his perfectly concealed place nearby.

_Direct_ _hit_.

~oOo~

Naruto plopped onto his stool heavily, a soft, keening cry escaping his throat. Never before had he realized just how far of a walk it was from the Hyuuga compound to Ichiraku Ramen, especially when it seemed like someone or something had it out for him. Just on the way over three potted plants had fallen on him, one barely missed him, a flying bird overhead- which looked like a raven- had pooped on him and hit him in the center of his forehead, and he had tripped so many times over so many things that he had lost count.

Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, glanced at his most common customer and the quiet Hyuuga girl he had brought with him, raising a quizzical eyebrow at Naruto's somewhat ragged appearance, "Been training?"

"No," he grumbled, "but the entire way here it felt like someone was trying to kill me!"

"Why," Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, asked as she served one of the other customers their food.

Naruto scowled from his slouched position in his seat, "I don't know!"

"Hmm," the ramen shop owner said thoughtfully, "Then I better get you the best ramen available to lift your spirits, eh Naruto? And I'll add your lady friend's for free."

He sat up, blue eyes sparkling gleefully for the first time since he had begun his cursed walk to Ichiraku's, "Really?"

With a grin the shop owner put a balanced amount of noodles, broth, and other delicacies into two bowls with practiced ease before setting them down in front of the duo. Hinata ate a little of hers- after thanking the father and daughter- and smiled softly in appreciation before Naruto grabbed the entire bowl and dipped it towards his mouth hungrily.

He didn't get very far.

There was a pause in his rapid slurps and swallows as his face turned a dark shade of red. He dropped the bowl back on the table and hurriedly spat out the ramen he had been eating. He gagged, gasped, and choked before letting out a pained yelp followed by the rapid repetition of a single word.

"_Hothothothothothothot!_"

Everyone looked startled at the proclamation before the blonde grabbed the nearest glass of water- earning a complaint from its original user- and chugged it quickly. After he finished he slammed it on the table once more and slumped, tongue lolling out of his mouth in fatigue.

"Agh," he shouted, "Did you put an entire pepper shaker in there?!"

The father and daughter shared a look, "We didn't put _any_ pepper in there."

"Well someone did!"

Hinata's brow furrowed in concern and Ayame put her finger to her chin in thought, "Huh. I wonder who would do a thing like that."

Had any of them bothered to look for the culprit they would have found a dark-haired man leaning against a tree trunk, hidden amongst its branches as he lazily tossed and caught an empty little clay pepper shaker.

They also would have noticed that the man had a rather unsettling smile on his face.

~oOo~

Naruto Uzumaki had nothing but Hinata's pity and support. She didn't know what was going on but she knew that there was something strange happening to the usually cheerful blonde. What else could explain all the odd occurrences that had happened in the time she had been with him?

Just as it had been all evening her thoughts were interrupted by incident. It started when Naruto stepped on a banana peel the moment he had reached the top of a series of stone stairs. Neither Naruto nor Hinata knew how long it had been there, but it was there in time for Naruto's foot to find it. As he put weight on it he slipped and fell backwards… bouncing back down the steps of the stairs that he had just finished climbing.

"N… Naruto!" Hinata called out, to no avail.

As she watched in shock and amazement the blonde reached the bottom of the stairs and rolled several more yards… right into an awaiting tree, head first. Just when the Hyuuga thought it was over an enormous beehive fell from a branch- having been knocked loose from the collision of his skull and the tree trunk- and landed on his already injured head. There was barely a second for everything to process before Naruto promptly started screaming and running away, an entire hive's worth of angry hornets buzzing after him.

Regrettably for him the hive was stuck to his head.

Cursing and shrieking he continued to run around in circles for several minutes- and likely would have remained doing so for hours to come- before Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Akamaru appeared, having been walking nearby when they heard the screams and decided to investigate. While their original purpose was to help the poor idiot Kiba found that upon coming across the sight he could do nothing but burst out into howling laughter, Akamaru sitting next to him and wagging his tail as his tongue lolled out in amusement.

Despite his teammate's uselessness on the matter Shino managed to calm and soothe the bees enough so they would leave Naruto alone and helped get the beehive off of his head, but afterwards proceeded to tell him off for putting the insects in such harm in the first place. He plain out ignored Naruto's attempts to defend himself by saying that they had harmed him _way_ more than he had harmed them and that he hadn't meant to get them angry in the first place.

After the lecture had finished and Kiba's laughter had mostly died down- though his eyes were still damp from tears and an occasional chuckle would escape him- Hinata's teammates waved goodbye to them and promised to see her the next day.

During the panic Hinata had come back down the stairs to help Naruto, but now that Kiba and Shino were gone she was alone once more with the usually energetic boy. With a quick breath to gather courage she hesitantly called out to the blonde before her to get his attention. After a moment he turned to look at her, revealing a face that was almost completely purple with large welts from the bee stings, his blue eyes barely peeping out from behind the lumps. The rest of him was in just as bad of a state, but Hinata barely noticed.

The Hyuuga pulled out a small container of ointment from her jacket pocket before holding it out at arm's length while her face began to flush a brilliant scarlet. She peeked out at him from under her lashes, barely able to get out a stutter.

"N… Naruto… I, um… I w… was wondering…" she swallowed and spoke in a rush, "P… please take this ointment! It'll h… help with the b… bee stings!"

Her voice rose to an embarrassed squeak at the end, but his lumpy face broke into a grin, "Thanks, Hinata!" He gladly took the ointment from her outstretched hands and opened the container before beginning to dab it on the stings. After a couple of minutes of doing so he paused and his brow furrowed in thought, "Didn't you give me this stuff before? During the Chunin exams?"

Her face went an even darker shade of red, "Y… you remember?"

"Course I do! I healed almost instantly because of it! This stuff's amazing." Hinata ducked her head shyly and began to poke her fingers together before he cocked his head, "Do you always carry this stuff with you?"

She nodded, "Y… yes," she moved her hands to clasp behind her back, "I a… always carry it, j… just in case."

"Then I guess it's lucky that I'm with you right now!"

Naruto's cheerful response made her smile softly. If he could smile like he was then he would be fine. _And_, she added giddily, _he said he's lucky to be with me_.

~oOo~

For a while Itachi was actually grateful for Kiba Inuzuka's raucous laughter. It was, after all, the only thing that had kept the young Shinobi from noticing the tree he was hiding in shaking mirthfully in the distance. Pulling away from the firm tree trunk he had leaned against during his highly uncharacteristic laughing fit he peered at the blurry, far-away shapes of Hinata and Naruto.

In an instant all his mirth left him.

He saw the concerned beauty give something to Naruto that his fading eyesight couldn't quite see. After Naruto opened it and appeared to dab bits of its contents on his numerous sores he came to the conclusion that it was an ointment. A Hyuuga ointment. One Hinata had given to _Naruto_.

The Akatsuki member kept his perch, watching them sourly as they began to slowly walk away. As they went he puzzled over what had happened. _I hurt Naruto and Hinata paid him more attention than she did before. If that's what'll happen every time then_, he wrinkled his nose in distaste, _I can't hurt him anymore_.

_At least_, his dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully, _not when we're somewhere Hinata will notice_.

He leapt from the tree he was in and landed soundlessly in a nearby bush, knowing he had to leave soon. Just as he was about to start his cautious trek towards his secret way into and out of the village he paused, seeing a small, pointy whitish-gray stone in the dirt near him. A slow smirk reached his features. _I'll make my departure right after this…_

In the blink of an eye the stone was in his hand and thrown at high velocity to the back of Naruto's spikey blonde head. There was a yelp of confirmed impact followed by a questioning murmur from Hinata. After a moment of muttering and rubbing his sore cranium Naruto just shrugged it off and they continued on their way.

The Uchiha nodded once in satisfaction and turned to leave, _Now I'm good_.

~oOo~

Kisame Hoshigaki stared with disbelieving eyes at Itachi after he threw the rock at the Jinchuriki's head. He had been his partner for years, and never before had he seen him act so childishly. Not even when he _was_ a child. Itachi Uchiha had never been emotional, or petty, or… or… _anything_!

And yet, with what he had just witnessed…

He shuddered and slumped against the tree he had been hiding in several yards away from Itachi, who had been too busy focusing on the two teens to notice him.

The man, a paler shade of blue than usual, swallowed thickly and barely contained a rising whimper. He had just witnessed an impossible, frightening thing and Pein and Konan were _never_ going to believe him.

AN: My sister pointed out with this chapter that it's rather funny how Itachi- who's eyesight is failing him- is far enough away that he can't hear their conversation and yet can manage to see bits of blonde hair all over Hinata's chest. My sister then began to laugh and said that apparently his eyesight becomes a solid 20/20 as soon as it comes to her boobs. I'm just going to agree with that explanation because even I find his sudden improvement of vision fishy.

Also, I kinda pity Naruto in this chapter. Who'd have thought that Itachi would be so vindictive? *Insert evilly amused chuckle*


	9. Conventionally White

AN: Well, I might as well say it now. The chapter before this was the last one you'll see Naruto in for a while. From now on its all Itachi/Hinata bonding time! Yay! ^_^

And in response to a guest review who wants Sasuke to find out about Itachi's newfound feelings and "slight" insanity, I can't tell you whether or not that happens because that would sadly count as a spoiler. Otherwise I would totally tell you and everyone else willing to listen. As it is I'm trying really hard _not_ to reveal too much of my plans for this story before they're written. So trust me, not telling you all hurts me just as much as- if not more than- it hurts you.

Oh, and brief warning about Hidan's language.

Please review!

**Conventionally White**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

In the dark confines of the Akatsuki's latest hideout Itachi stalked, thoughts awhirl as he carelessly navigated the narrow halls of the underground safe house. It had been a month since he had terrorized Naruto, but the occurrence was still fresh in his memory and by far one of the fondest recollections he had. The fondest, of course, were of Hinata.

_The graceful way she moves… the glossiness of her long, silky navy blue hair… the absolutely mesmerizing quality of her pale lavender eyes… her breathtakingly beautiful features… she is a true goddess in every aspect._

The Uchiha barely contained the shiver that threatened to race up his spine at the images of her that flashed through his mind. He knew he was wrapped around her finger and she barely even knew him. His coal-black eyes lost their dazed look long enough for him to veer himself from the path of what would have been a certain collision with the latest corner he had begun to turn before he slipped peacefully back into his busy mind.

Had Itachi not been so involved in his thoughts then perhaps he would have noticed the other three Akatsuki members who had just witnessed his actions. The largest one of them, a blue-skinned male with sharp teeth who knew him the best, shuddered.

He hissed under his breath, "Did you see that? He almost ran into a wall! He's never had such a close call in all the years I've known him, not even in the heat of battle with weapons coming at him from every direction!"

"I know," rumbled his orange-haired leader, sharing a look with the blue-haired woman standing next to him. He narrowed his odd purple eyes, "Konan… send for the rest of the Akatsuki. It is time we did something about this."

~oOo~

Slipping silently through the thick expanse of trees the dark-haired Akatsuki member pondered what had happened. Pein had come up to him and ordered him to go on a mission involving the theft of something valuable and the assassination of a lesser lord. It wouldn't have been so odd if not for the fact that his leader had stared strangely at him as he had left, as if he were plotting something.

That alone had accounted for Itachi's hasty completion of the mission and the equally hasty retreat back to the compound. As he approached the seemingly inconspicuous building, dodging the various traps surrounding it without triggering a single one, he realized he could hear many voices and the impatient shuffling of feet coming from within.

Multiple scenarios ran through his head, each one containing a betrayal, a discovery of his true mission, or a surprise attack from an enemy party. Soundlessly the Uchiha drew a kunai from his pouch and moved closer stealthily. He slid his hand around the doorknob to the only door into the compound and opened it, slowly sliding it far enough away from the doorway so he could enter.

Effortlessly he crossed the opening hall of the ground floor of the compound and went to the next door. Just as quietly as last time he opened this door to peer through it as well, almost dropping the kunai he was holding at the sight that greeted him. Inside was almost every single one of the remaining Akatsuki members- Kakuzu being excluded- spread out across the room on various chairs and couches that hadn't been there before.

He gave another glance over the room, his eyes now a swirl of red and black with his activated Sharingan. They roamed searchingly over everyone, only stopping upon reaching Tobi, sprawled across the floor with his legs giddily kicking next to a large, long piece of paper. In his hand he held a big paint brush dipped in red paint, its bucket only about a foot away, as he hummed cheerfully.

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he read what was already painted on the piece of paper. In large, capital red letters the masked male had written "CONVENTI". Even as he watched Tobi begin to paint an "O" onto the paper next to the "I" the Uchiha knew what it would say when it was finished. It could only be one, simple word.

_Convention_.

Itachi recoiled from the door as if it had burned him, allowing it to swing open and announce his presence. Every head turned in his direction, the room going deathly silent. For a moment nobody could speak, and then Tobi whined in disappointment.

"Aw! You came back too early! I wasn't even able to finish the sign yet!"

Deidera grumbled and rolled his eyes, "Well, what did you expect? It's Itachi you're talking about! He completes missions that're supposed to take three days and finishes them in three _hours_! Besides," the blonde crossed his arms and scowled, "that stupid sign is pointless. Not artistic at all!"

"That's hardly-" the white half of Zetsu started before the black half finished "-relevant."

"How could it be anything _but_ relevant?" Deidera scoffed, "Art is amazing! Art is life! Art is what makes this pathetic world exist!"

A single eyebrow jutted up on the silver-haired Hidan who lay on his back, spread across one of the couches with his head resting in his hands, "What a load of bull-"

"All of you be silent and take a seat," Pein finally snapped from his own exquisitely carved chair on the opposite side of the room, with another, smaller one next to him where Konan was quietly sitting. A moment passed as everyone who had been standing moved to a place to sit, leaving Itachi the only one standing uncomprehendingly by the door. Pein motioned with a hand towards the last remaining chair directly across from him, "You as well, Itachi."

The Uchiha, not knowing what else to do, simply did as he was told.

As soon as he was seated Pein locked his fingers together and leaned forward in his seat, "Itachi. We are here today to talk about a very serious problem. You've been… distracted… recently and we have become concerned about whether you'll be able to effectively do your job now." He narrowed his eyes at the dark-haired Akatsuki member, "Due to this disquieting behavior I have been forced to call a meeting of all the Akatsuki members."

There was a pause as Itachi's Sharingan eyes scanned the group once more before he calmly spoke, "I believe you have forgotten Kakuzu."

"Nah," Hidan grumbled from his comfortable position lounging on the couch, "The bastard said some crap about "If I'm not being paid then I'm not doing psychiatric services"." The Uchiha raised a stark eyebrow at the comment and Hidan continued, "I'm starting to agree with the jackass."

Pein ignored him, pointedly continuing, "By now we know what has caused your disturbing actions, though we didn't believe it at first."

Itachi stiffened minutely in his seat, not quite sure what to expect. _What conclusion have they come to? They can't know about Hinata. I would have noticed._

"We have known for about a month now that the reason behind your change in attitude is because…" he paused, as if he couldn't quit bring himself to continue, "you're pining over a woman."

For a moment Itachi paled, horrified at the amount of danger he had just placed Hinata in. He was unable to think any more on it, however, because of a certain loud, obnoxious male.

"Pining? Ha!" Hidan snorted, "He's like a poor, starved puppy out to hump her leg! Its freaking creepy!"

"Hidan," Pein said warningly.

As if their leader hadn't spoken white Zetsu added, "And she was hardly a woman. She was only a teenager."

"But what a tasty-looking morsel she was," black Zetsu licked his lips at the thought.

Itachi sent him a cold glare while he tried to ignore the panic beginning to prickle up his spine.

Their orange-haired leader started speaking again, albeit edgily, "As leader of the Akatsuki I have decided that something has to be done about this, and after some consultation with the rest of organization we have come to the conclusion that counseling was the best option." He paused before adding firmly, "While you may be having some… problems… at the moment you are also a valued part of the Akatsuki and would therefore be difficult to replace."

The Uchiha accepted that as the closest Pein would ever come to saying he cared even slightly about the lives of the people who followed him in the Akatsuki. He also relaxed ever so slightly at the realization that they didn't plan to do anything to Hinata.

The organization leader continued, "Before we go any further it should be known that the rest of the Akatsuki have some things to say-"

"Yeah, I have something to say alright!" Hidan interrupted, sitting up and pointing an accusing finger at Itachi, "I didn't believe our stupid leader when he said you were facing lady problems, so then he made me follow you on one of your damn "dates" with the girl! I was scarred for the rest of my immortal life from what I saw, you freaky stalker!"

"Konan, if you would." At Pein's words Konan withdrew a dull knife from her cloak and threw it at the immortal hard enough to get it lodged in his chest.

After a string of cusses the silver-haired male removed the dull blade and huffed sulkily, "What the _hell_ do you want me to do with _this_?"

Pein narrowed his eyes and ground out through teeth that were clenched in annoyance, "Go into the next room and get creative."

Hidan perked up at that and hopped from the couch before cheerfully exiting the room.

Their leader cleared his throat and began talking once more, "As I was saying, some of the Akatsuki have some things to say on the matter." He turned to the large blue form of Kisame Hoshigaki and inclined his head expectedly, "Well, Kisame? Do you have something to say to your partner? You were the first to notice his strange behavior, after all."

"Nah," he shook his head, staring intensely at Itachi, "I… don't know what to say."

"Very well." He glanced towards the next Akatsuki member, who remained still on the plush chair he was sitting in, "Zetsu?"

The white half began, "What you've been doing is wrong. You've been watching a girl on our enemy's side and-"

"Wait, wait, wait," his black half interrupted, "How is that any different from what _we_ do? _We_ follow people who work against us as well, do we not?"

White Zetsu frowned, "We do it because it is our _job_. He does it due to infatuation."

"Well I don't think it's that wrong," came his almost petulant reply.

"I agree with you, Zetsu," Deidera's sudden input made everyone swing their attention to him, though Zetsu stared at him blankly and waited for specification, "Er, black Zetsu."

Looks of disbelief followed the statement, "Really?"

The blonde sighed impatiently, "We all saw the girl when we followed Itachi and- let's face it- she was a total babe!" There was a small round of nods as well as a shouted "Hell yeah!" from Hidan in the next room, though nobody knew if he was agreeing with Deidera or was just pleased with whatever he was doing in there. He continued, "So nobody can blame him for liking her when she has a body like that. And as for following her, how the hell else is he supposed to get close to her? He can't exactly ask her out. In the end this is probably the healthiest relationship that any of us can _have_ in this organization." Deidera paused before adding as an afterthought, "Not that I'm on your side, Itachi. I still hate you and look forward to the day you die at my hand."

Pein sighed and rubbed his temple, "I thought we agreed to persuade him to _stop_ following her."

He shrugged carelessly in reply, "Just thought I'd show the other side of the argument."

The leader of the Akatsuki exhaled in mild agitation and turned to Tobi, the only person left to speak. For a moment everyone just stared at Tobi as he wriggled in his seat with his hand raised excitedly, the words "Pick me, pick me, pick me" emanating from him like a chant.

With the raise of an eyebrow Pein spoke, "You wish to speak, Tobi?"

The masked male nodded excitedly several times and pulled a scroll out from his cloak, hastily unraveling it until it stretched to the floor, "Itachi, I only want you to know that anything I say is for your own good and I'll only say it because we all care about you."

Itachi never once doubted that Tobi was evil, but it was at that exact moment that he realized he was even worse than he had originally thought.

Before anyone could stop him Tobi started a long, emotional speech, complete with blubbering, sniffling, and the occasional wail. The reactions of everyone varied, with some remaining quiet to wallow privately in their misery at listening to the speech (Itachi, Pein, Konan, and Zetsu), others muttering under their breath in annoyance (Kisame and Deidera), and others still doing nothing but banging their head against a wall and cursing loudly from the next room over (Hidan).

Tobi gave an especially loud dramatic sniffle, "A… and it just wasn't like you! I just w… want the old Itachi back!"

He paused to take another breath for the next part of the speech, but the dark-haired Uchiha had finally decided that he had heard enough.

"No more of this," Itachi spoke stiffly, "There is no need for counseling and no need for everyone to share their feelings on the matter. I have control over my own actions."

He frowned coldly, red and black eyes spinning restlessly as he glanced over the people gathered. He then spoke the words that one should never speak if they're trying to convince someone of their case. He spoke the words of an addict.

"And I can stop whenever I wish to."

Leaving no room for arguments he spun on his heel and left the room, firm in his resolve.

For minutes everything was silent (With the exception of Hidan suddenly bursting into psychotic laughter in the next room over, though nobody really wanted to think about that) before Pein finally whispered, "We must fix this. We must."

AN: Am I the only one who finds the idea of the Akatsuki- a group of highly messed up criminals- having a convention completely _hilarious_?

And sorry for any mistakes. I was half-asleep in both the writing and correcting of this chapter, so there's bound to be a few.


	10. Akatsuki Black: Part One

AN: Sorry for the wait! I wanted to continue this for the longest time but I just couldn't get in the mood to write for it. But I finally managed to pop this out, so yay! However, I should warn you that the next couple chapters are probably going to get fairly long, so don't be surprised if it takes me a while to write them… especially now that I'm back in school, which will give me less time to write. Sigh…

Please review!

**Akatsuki Black: Part One**

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_

The air was cool and soothing against Hinata's heated and sweaty skin. She panted heavily as she leaned her back tenderly against a tree, head resting against its rough bark. Her pearlescent eyes remained closed as she tried to regain her breath after her recent workout.

With several more gasps for air she opened her eyes and pushed herself from the trunk, barely catching herself when she staggered on her overworked legs. After taking a moment to regain her sense of balance the teen leaned forward enough to snatch her lilac jacket from its place on the ground and quickly slipped it on over her black shirt despite how warm she was. She seized her jacket zipper only to pause, debating briefly in her head before opting to leave it open.

That done the heiress quickly checked her weapons pouch to make sure she had everything in its place and swept her gaze over her favorite training area one last time. Satisfied she hadn't missed anything she turned and began her swift pace towards the training ground exit, the darkness of the night sky seemingly lost to her in her exhaustion from hours of exercise and her eagerness to return home.

Perhaps, had she known what awaited her, she wouldn't have been so keen to leave.

~oOo~

Deidera decided that Pein didn't know what he was doing when it came to picking partners in the Akatsuki. How else had the blonde ended up with two displeasing ones in a row? _First Sasori and now Tobi_, the male groused inwardly at his luck, _But at last Sasori knew how to __**shut**__**up**__!_

Oblivious to the thoughts of his companion the dark-haired man edged a little further around the corner, excitement making him jittery, "Can we go yet? Please, please, please, please, _please_?"

"Not yet," Deidera hissed back, getting annoyed all over again at the whine that followed.

"How about _now_?"

The blonde ignored his twitching eye enough to hit his partner's head with a solid-sounding _thwack_. Tobi pouted behind his mask and rubbed his now sore cranium. Any complaint he was about to make was silenced with the next word that left his violent companion's mouth.

"_Now_."

The long-haired Akatsuki member grabbed Tobi by his cloak's collar and proceeded to drag him through the unnervingly silent Hyuuga compound, careful to remain unseen by any of its more wakeful residents. The duo took several turns in the various hallways before finally reaching their destination.

Giving Tobi a quick gesture to be quiet- and gaining an overenthusiastic nod in response- Deidera carefully grabbed the door before them and slid it open gradually. Once it was open enough for them to slip through the blonde signaled for his partner to stand watch and entered the room.

The blue-eyed male took a moment to note how neat the room was before moving closer to his target. As he reached the side of the bed he saw the teenaged girl known as Hinata Hyuuga curled into a ball with her arms wrapped around one of her pillows in an almost cute way. Despite the fact that her dark navy hair was strewn around her face messily and nearly her entire body was hidden beneath the comforter it was clear that she was beautiful.

"She's really pretty."

Deidera jumped a little in surprise at the sudden sound of Tobi's voice from beside him, "Tobi! I told you to be quiet and stand watch!"

His companion was clearly pouting behind his mask, "But that's boring and nobody's coming!"

The blonde was preparing to hit the male for the second time that night when they heard a soft groan and the rustling of sheets. The duo froze and glanced at their target, who had sat up a little in her bed- her pillow now cast to the side- and opened her pale eyes. Hinata stared at them for a moment, brow furrowing in what was plainly an attempt to get her half-asleep mind to figure out if they were real or if she was having some sort of a strange dream. As they watched realization that she wasn't dreaming struck her and her eyes widened.

Cursing inwardly the blonde Akatsuki member quickly grabbed the arm that was reaching for what was undoubtedly an emergency kunai under her pillow, the other arm following soon after. She struggled and opened her mouth to scream or call for help but at that moment Tobi shoved a white cloth against her mouth and nose, hindering her instantly muffled protests. She thrashed for several moments more, though, twisting her arms wildly in Deidera's grasp and managing to swing her legs out from her blanket enough to get a strong kick to Tobi's stomach before finally going limp. After keeping it in place for a little longer to insure that the drug on the fabric had truly worked Deidera removed it from her face and sent Tobi- who was clutching his stomach and whimpering in pain at the force of her kick- to see if anyone was coming.

When he gave the all clear the more senior Akatsuki member hoisted the unconscious girl over his shoulder and grumbled under his breath, "You better appreciate this, Itachi."

~oOo~

Itachi wasn't often confused, but being awoken in the early hours of the morning and summoned by Pein for no discernable reason left him feeling that way… as well as wary. As Zetsu phased back into the wall, his message delivered, the Uchiha slid from his temporary bed- a plain futon- and stood. After slipping his shoes and Akatsuki cloak on over his simple black shirt and pants he tied his scratched headband around his forehead and left through the door.

_Something is strange_, he thought as he continued his brisk stride down the hallway. _Pein never calls on me this late unless he wants a mission report_. _But_, the male's lips tilted downward in a frown, _I haven't had a mission since that… __**convention**_. He shuddered slightly in distaste at the memory of the unwanted gathering before his musings took on a more wistful tone, _I haven't seen Hinata since before then, either. I wonder how she-_

His inner dialogue instantly cut off when he opened the final door and saw what was waiting for him in the next room. Once more all the organization members except for Kakuzu were present, though this time with one important guest.

_Hinata_.

"Ta-da!" Tobi hummed happily in the otherwise silent room, waving his hands towards Hinata as if to show her off. Itachi simply ignored him in favor of drinking in the girl's every detail.

She was passed out on her side in the center of the room's wooden floor, Deidera and Tobi standing the closest to her. Her dark navy hair lay strewn around her, stirring softly with each gentle exhale. She was breathtaking in her elegantly old-fashioned white yukata. Itachi blinked dark eyes. _Isn't that the yukata she sleeps in?_

As evenly as possible the black haired male asked, "Why is Hinata Hyuuga here?"

"We have brought her here tonight to solve your problem. Your work has been suffering because of her and since you have refused counseling we have decided that giving her to you is the next best option." Pein narrowed his eyes and continued coldly, "If you have her here long enough you will undoubtedly see her faults and realize the absurdity of your attraction."

Even as he thought in the back of his mind that Hinata had no faults Itachi clenched his teeth slightly in shame and frustration. He had sworn he would help her find happiness and had instead succeeded in getting her kidnapped by what was one of the worst organizations to be kidnapped by. In his eyes it was one of the biggest failures he had ever faced, though even he had to admit that he couldn't have predicted the Akatsuki doing something as farfetched as abducting the Hyuuga heiress and giving her to him just to make him concentrate on his work.

With a steadying breath Itachi asked, "Why did you decide this… and why is she unconscious at the moment?"

"You can't get distracted pining over a woman if she's yours," white Zetsu shrugged from his position behind Pein and Konan before his black half added almost impishly, "Having such a morsel waiting for your return might even make you get your missions done quicker."

"But why is she unconscious," Itachi repeated his other question when nobody answered, choosing to ignore the last part of what Zetsu had said.

After a moment of hesitant silence Konan explained slowly, "A drug was used on her to make her capture and transport easier as well as more efficient."

"You… _drugged_ her?" Though hardly surprised by the news he was unquestionably appalled at the thought of them doing such a thing to her… as well as disgusted with himself. It was his fault that Hinata had to endure such a thing.

The blonde artist instantly held his hands up and took a step away from the overprotective male who was suddenly staring glacially at him, a thinly veiled threat in in gaze at the newest information, "Hey, it was necessary! And we only used a little- not even enough to make her pass out for a day. In fact, she'll probably wake up by morning." Seeing Itachi relax slightly Deidera added huffily, "Besides, it was either we drug her or we knock her out with a hard whack to the head."

The Uchiha closed his eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it gradually before he opened his eyes again and spoke, "To make this clear… you have kidnapped the Hyuuga heiress- which will undoubtedly lead to a thorough search for her from not only her Clan but the entire Hidden Leaf Village- and are "giving" her to me simply to stop my far less risky visits to the village and make me pay more attention to my job?"

Kisame shrugged and Hidan snorted sarcastically as he sat heavily onto the floor, crossing his legs and leaning his cheek on a hand that was propped up by his knee, "Congratulations, Itachi; your birthday came early this year."

Despite the withering stare he received the immortal didn't care.

Deciding any show of disdain was wasted on Hidan and realizing that any attempt to return the girl to her home at any near point in time would be thwarted Itachi turned his attention to their leader, mentally prepared himself for the worst, and asked in a strained voice, "Pein, where is she supposed to sleep for the duration of her stay?"

"Your room."

Those two simple words made Itachi feel as if he were being punished. He was going to spend every night with the girl he loved in the same room as him? _They don't want me to ever sleep again, do they_, he groaned inwardly. Granted, he didn't plan to keep her trapped with them there any longer than was completely necessary, but he didn't know how long "necessary" _was_.

With a resigned sigh the male stalked over to where Hinata lay and gently lifted her into his arms, ignoring the numerous demeaning "Aw"s he received from the other Akatsuki members following the act. After taking a moment to adjust her into a comfortable position with her curled up against his chest as she dozed he turned and walked towards the door he had entered from.

When the door was open he paused and glanced over his shoulder, "I expect another room to be ready for her within the next few days."

"Aw!" Tobi cooed again before Itachi was gone and the door was slammed shut behind him.

The Uchiha walked down the hall with as smooth of a gait as possible, trying not to disturb the sleeping beauty he held. In the back of his mind he guiltily admitted to himself that he was overwhelmingly ecstatic to finally have the chance to hold her so closely. It gave him the opportunity to notice for the first time that she had the pleasing scent of flowers and sweet cinnamon.

Upon finally reaching his room he carefully opened its door and slipped inside, moving to his futon to carefully place her on it before pulling his blanket up to her neck. Once that was done he turned and would have taken a seat on the bare wooden floor at the opposite side of the room if not for the sound of knocking. Knowing that ignoring the person at his door would be both pointless and annoyingly noisy the Akatsuki member answered his door.

Waiting for him at the other side was a smug Kisame whose smirk only stretched wider at his appearance, "Itachi, I've been meaning to ask you a question." The dark eyed male remained silent, only raising an eyebrow to signal him to continue, "Did you like the girl before or after you saw her in the field of flowers?"

The corners of Itachi's mouth lowered slightly, but he didn't respond.

Kisame chuckled knowingly, "I guess that answers that, then."

Without waiting for any further words from his partner the door was firmly shut, declaring their conversation finished. With an inaudible huff of displeasure the Uchiha moved away from the door and shed off his cloak, shoes, and headband, leaving them in a tidy pile next to where he had originally planned to go before the blue skinned swordsman had knocked.

He slid to the floor and leaned against the wall, one of his legs propped up and pulled close while the other was stretched outward and flat on the floor. He rested one arm against his leg and one on top of his neatly folded cloak as his head tilted back against the wall. Itachi didn't expect to get anymore sleep that night, but he didn't mind too much. Hinata was more important than rest and he knew she'd need someone to calm her down and clarify things when she woke up.

Despite the lengthy explanation and the endless assurances awaiting him, Itachi Uchiha had to admit to himself that he looked forward to her waking up.

~oOo~

Hinata woke to the feeling of her head throbbing in time to her heartbeat. She wasn't quite sure as to why her skull hurt, but it was certainly enough to concern her. _What's… going on?_ She clenched her fingers, feeling the texture of unfamiliar bedding in her grip. A surge of panic swept through her.

_Where am I? Why am I hurting? Whose bed am I in?_ In that instant she remembered the night before and getting woken up by two intruders wearing dangerously familiar cloaks. They had grabbed her, knocked her out with some sort of drug, and taken her… where? The fear that had been stewing inside her suddenly doubled at the thought.

With a small swallow that made her dry throat constrict tightly the Kunoichi slowly slid her eyes open enough to barely peek out from beneath her long lashes. Normally she'd have scoped out the area using her Bakugan, but due to the possibility of her being near an enemy that could sense chakra she decided it would be best to do it the old fashioned way. Careful to keep her breathing as even as it would be if she were still sleeping she glanced around at her surroundings with her limited vision.

She lay on a simple white futon with a matching comforter tugged up to her chin and a small pillow beneath her head. The room she was in seemed to have little to it in ways of décor, the usual occupant of it likely preferring functionality and easy packing ability as opposed to storing personal items and frivolous adornments. Hinata continued her search of the room, stopping when she came across the only door into and out of the small bed chamber… as well as the man sitting next to it with his back against the pale, blank wall.

For a moment the Hyuuga's heart sped up and fear clogged her throat, recognizing instantly that the male in the room with her was Itachi Uchiha. Forcing down her terror at being alone behind closed doors with a dangerous Akatsuki member- even one who appeared to be dozing- without so much as a kunai she tried to think rationally. _If he or the rest of his organization had wanted me dead then I wouldn't be alive right now._

That did little to calm her distress but her thoughts were put on hold when she heard a low, soothing voice, "I see you're awake, Miss Hyuuga." She stiffened in her spot, a fresh wave of dread hitting her as she realized that he had probably never been asleep and had been observing her since she had first woken when Itachi continued, "Don't be afraid. Neither myself or any of my associates within the Akatsuki have any intentions of harming you."

"Th…" Hinata swallowed roughly to stop the stutter that started with her fear, speaking as bravely has she could as she slid herself up into a sitting position and opened her eyes fully to gaze at the Uchiha, "Then what do you want with me?"

Itachi studied her with his surprisingly gentle dark eyes as he responded, "I will explain everything I can, but you must swear to hear me through to the end. I do not wish to hurt you or inconvenience you any longer than necessary, so you must try cooperate with me."

Hinata knew she had little choice given her situation, but pondered his words anyway. If she were to try to battle her way out of her confinement she knew she would lose to the genius, even if she had a full arsenal weapons and complete knowledge of her environment. Escape seemed impossible, and that wasn't even accounting for all the other Akatsuki that could possibly be waiting for her on the other side of the door should she somehow manage to leave the room. As for Itachi himself… as a wanted criminal and the murderer of many he could hardly be trusted by his word alone. _And yet_, she contemplated levelly, _not only did he save me from Goro Hetsuchi, but he untied me and spared my life. Would a criminal typically leave witnesses?_

Finally, after several minutes more of thinking over Itachi Uchiha's words Hinata came to a decision. She tilted her chin slightly upwards in resolution and quietly answered, "Alright."

AN: Yay! I finished! And now that our favorite couple is stuck in the compound together, the fun parts are coming! Woohoo! And hurray for Hidan, who is oddly fun to write for- even when he doesn't do anything!

… And did Deidera seriously say "whack"? O_O

Review!


End file.
